An encounter with John put a T-intersection in the lives of his people. They could turn one way and not believe his words or turn the other way, believing and being baptized with the excitement of anticipation, but they could not continue on their previous course. They would never be the same, and baptism marked the spot of the intersection.

To better grasp this, I think of the components of creativity: the creator, his creativity, and his creation. I can imagine an architect holding his plans, representing his initial intention, and then looking at his completed building, representing the final creation. The architect always had the building with him - it was a part of him from the start, and the plans accurately reflected his initial intention.